Bill Tieleman is one of BC's best known communicators, political commentators and strategists.
Bill writes a politics column Tuesdays in 24 Hours newspaper and The Tyee online magazine.
Bill has been Communications Director in the B.C. Premier's Office and at the BC Federation of Labour.
Bill owns West Star Communications, a consulting firm providing strategy and communication services for labour, business, non-profits and government.

Tuesday, January 09, 2007

Leaders do not sway with the polls. Instead, they sway the polls through their own words and actions.

- defeated Maryland Republican Governor Robert Ehrlich

What people in Vancouver think about key political and city issues must be extremely important because someone is spending a lot of money to find out.

24 hours has uncovered yet another mystery poll asking questions about Vancouver Mayor Sam Sullivan and city council, how you would vote in a federal election, whether the safe drug injection site should be closed, new federal Liberal leader Stephane Dion, privatized health care and other issues.

Last month 24 hours reported on mystery polling conducted by Justason Market Intelligence that asked questions about Sullivan's performance and potential opponents. While Sullivan's Non-Partisan Association said it did not commission the poll, 24 hours has learned that key Sullivan supporters financed the research, which has yet to be released.

And now national polling firm Decima Research confirms that it conducted an Internet poll of Vancouver residents last month. Two readers contacted 24 hours to provide poll questions.

Cam Davis, Decima's Vancouver-based senior vice-president, said the online poll of about 700 people is an omnibus poll where different clients can put questions in for a fee but declined to name those clients.

"It's proprietory. If they want to release it, that's their business," Davis said. Decima posed some questions itself and will likely release results later in January, he added.

Many questions are clearly political. One asks: "Do you think Stephane Dion, the newly elected leader of the Liberal party will be more, the same or less sympathetic to the interests and needs of Vancouver than previous federal leaders?"

Sullivan is the topic for another question: "Are you very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, dissatisfied, or very dissatisfied with the job that the Mayor of Vancouver is doing?"

Respondents are also asked about the controversial for-profit medical clinic recently opened by Dr. Mark Godley: "Do you think that the Urgent Care Clinic that recently opened in False Creek should be allowed to offer emergency services at additional fees?"

And one question ominously raises the possibility of TransLink rationing automobile access to Vancouver: "Would you support or oppose allowing cars with some licence plates into downtown on some days, and other cars other days?"

The online poll asks whether respondents would increase, maintain or decrease Vancouver tax funding for police, fire, library, parks and recreation, social and community and streets and traffic services.

But a city spokesperson says Vancouver is not sponsoring questions on the survey. Davis said Decima does similar polls in Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa and will continue polling Vancouver residents this year.

Nice to know our opinions count - and are worth a lot of money.

BLOG EXTRA - All the polling questions:

Are you very satisfied, satisfied, dissatisfied, or very dissatisfied with the job that the Mayor of Vancouver is doing?

Are you very satisfied, satisfied, dissatisfied, or very dissatisfied with the job that the City Council of Vancouver is doing?

Are you very satisfied, satisfied, dissatisfied, or very dissatisfied with the job that Translink is doing?

Are you very satisfied, satisfied, dissatisfied, or very dissatisfied with the job being done by the police in the greater Vancouver area?

Vancouver and the surrounding area, please tell me if you feel things have been getting better, getting worse or not changing in the last while, in each of the following areas?

Getting betterGetting worseNot changingPrefer not to say

The overall quality of life

Education servicesThe level of racial toleranceThe services provided by local governmentThe cost of local government

The amount of trafficThe environmentThe economy

Public safety from crimeHealth servicesCare for the disadvantaged

Thinking about the price of real estate in the greater Vancouver area over the next few years, is it more likely that: prices will rise sharply, will rise a little, will stabilize, will drop a little, or drop sharply?

And how about the neighborhood in which you live?

Do you feel local authorities are well prepared or poorly prepared to deal with the following types of emergency:

A major weather or other natural disaster?A terrorist attack

Would you support or oppose each of the following measures?

Introducing tolls on roads, and use the money raised to reduce Translink faresAllowing cars with some license plates into downtown on some days, and other cars other daysIntroducing more high occupancy lanes to encourage car poolingIncreasing the number of bicycle lanes

Have you or someone in your household, experienced the following challenges in getting the health services you need?

Long wait for an appointment with a medical specialistLong wait for a surgical procedureLong wait for an MRI or similar test

Inability to find a GP taking patients

Do you think that the Urgent Care Clinic that recently opened in False Creek should be allowed to offer emergency services at additional fees?

Yes No Not aware of clinic No opinion Prefer not to say

Should Vancouver's Supervised Injection Site for drug addicts be closed?

Yes No Don't know No opinion Prefer not to say

What is the single most important issue you would like to see addressed to improve the overall quality of life in your area?

2 comments:

Anonymous
said...

Now a few polls are being done but nobody knows who is paying for them. So what's the point in getting involved in answering questions if one doesn't know who is asking and for what purpose.Those things don't come cheap

Bill Tieleman and Senator Larry Campbell, former Vancouver mayor

Jim Sinclair, Cindy Oliver, Ken Georgetti and Bill Tieleman

Bill Tieleman's coverage of the Basi-Virk/BC Legislature Raid Case praised by other journalists:

"This outstanding piece of journalism, in The Tyee, is the work of a journalist who has been deeply involved with this issue from the start and this article should be passed on as far and wide as possible."

"Bill Tieleman from 24 hours . . . . If you want to know about this trial and about this case, you have to read his blog – I mean, that’s just all there is to it – it’s required reading if you want to understand the BC Legislature Raid situation."

- Mike Smyth, columnist, The Province

"The Basi-Virk case....you’ve probably sat through more of these hearings and gone through more of the files and written about it than any other journalist in the province."

- Bill Good, host, The Bill Good Show, CKNW/Corus Radio Network

"Tieleman ...has done a first-rate job covering the trial."

- Paul Willcocks, columnist, the Victoria Times-Colonist

"Tieleman, who marries a considerable journalistic talent with one of the smartest political minds in the province, has been writing more web-exclusive material. And his coverage of the Basi-Virk trial is a must-read -- whether you're an insider or an outsider."

"24 Hours, the Vancouver paper that has been leading the coverage, as well as the hints of conspiracy in B.C."

- Norman Spector, columnist, Globe and Mail

"Although the major media in this circumstance has been giving the case significant coverage, Tieleman's reports on his blog have been outstanding.

The entire cut and thrust of legal wrangling and arguments has been covered and is accompanied by considered analysis.....His blog site coverage of the Basi-Virk trial is the most in depth treatment of one of British Columbia's biggest political scandals."

- Bill Bell, columnist, The North Shore News

"Mr. Tieleman has published online dispatches which, freed from the limitations of newsprint space or broadcast time, can run at length. They also remain available for those select readers who become obsessed with a case also known as Railgate.....

In another bizarre twist to a story with no shortage of them, Mr. Tieleman went to work one day in December only to discover his office had been ransacked. Bookcases had been tipped over and papers strewn, but nothing was missing.

To top it off, a press kit for the self-published novel The Raid, written by a retired military officer in Metchosin and featuring on its cover a photograph from the 2003 police raid, had been left in a conspicuous place."

- Tom Hawthorn, columnist, The Globe and Mail

Nobody has followed the Basi-Virk affair over its past five years with greater diligence than local journalist, Bill Tieleman....Tieleman deserves our thanks, a fistful of journalism awards and some merit citation for citizenship.